Two former Clemson standouts, who were once members of the formidable defensive front that dubbed itself the Power Rangers, will return to Tiger Town this weekend — as coaches.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney announced during an interview on Out of Bounds with William Qualkinbush and Kelly Gramlich on WCCP 105.5 FM The Roar on Tuesday that former Tiger defensive linemen Christian Wilkins and Austin Bryant will be the honorary head coaches for Saturday’s Orange & White Spring Game at Death Valley.
Cornerbacks coach Mike Reed and tight ends coach Kyle Richardson will be the other heads coaches for the spring game, which is set for 1 p.m. and will be televised on ACC Network.
“Our honorary head coaches this week are going to be Christian Wilkins and Austin Bryant, and that should be a lot of fun,” Swinney said. “Mike Reed will be a head coach, Kyle Richardson’s going to be a head coach, and then Christian Wilkins and Austin Bryant will be the honorary head coaches.”
Wilkins and Bryant, both of whom are playing in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions, respectively, were key parts of the Power Rangers unit that helped Clemson capture its most recent national title in 2018.
Wilkins, a three-time All-ACC selection and three-time All-American who became the fifth unanimous All-American in school history in 2018, finished his Clemson career (2015-18) with 250 tackles, 41 tackles for loss, 16 sacks, 56 quarterback pressures, 16 pass breakups, three forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries over 59 games (45 starts).
Bryant, who was part of Clemson’s two-deep rotation for his entire career, completed his time as a Tiger (2015-18) with 153 tackles, 35 tackles for loss, 20.0 sacks, 32 quarterback pressures, four pass breakups, two caused fumbles and an interception across 51 games (29 starts) in his career. He earned Outstanding Defensive Player honors in the CFP Semifinal at the Cotton Bowl Classic in the midst of Clemson’s undefeated 2018 campaign.
There will be some bragging rights at stake when Wilkins and Bryant oppose each other as honorary head coaches during Saturday’s spring game.
“Christian’s fired up because he never won a spring game, and Austin’s fired up because he never lost a spring game,” Swinney said. “So, should be a little fun and a little juice on the line there with those guys.”
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